Built by the CIA in the late 1950s and 60s, the A-12, SR-71, YF-12, M-21, and the D-21 are collectively known as the "blackbird" family. They are reconnaissance planes, and do not carry weapons.

These are the fastest airplanes to have ever flown, achieving sustained speeds of Mach 3.25. They were tested at Groom Lake in the early 1960s, prompting the base's first major expansion after the U-2.htm">U-2 program.

The A-12 is the CIA's one-seat version of the plane, while the SR-71 is the Air Force's two-seat version. The YF-12 was a proposed interceptor version of the airplane capable of carrying weapons, but it was never put into production. Finally, the M-21 is a 'mothership' version of the plane which carries a D-21 drone on its back. Only a few such launches were attempted: after a failed D-21 launch killed pilot Ray Torick, the M-21 program was cancelled. Instead, D-21s were launched from the underside of B-52 bombers.

Flying out of Beale AFB in Marysville, CA, SR-71 was operational until the late 1990s.